The Retail Association of Maine has named Lisa-Marie’s Made in Maine the 2021 Retailer of the Year. The award was presented to the owners, Lisa-Marie and Andy Stewart, front and center, and their staff last month. Contributed / Retail Association of Maine

Maine retailer singled out for singular honor

Lisa-Marie’s Made in Maine has been named the 2021 Retailer of the Year by the Retail Association of Maine. The award was presented to owners Lisa-Marie and Andy Stewart and the staff of Lisa-Marie’s Oct. 27 at the flagship location in Bath.

The Retailer of the Year Award has three main criteria: continued growth in employees or sales, commitment of company resources to community projects, and creation of a positive work environment. Lisa-Marie Stewart has been involved in promoting Made in Maine products since 1990. She first started selling her work in a Brunswick store very much like Lisa-Marie’s Made in Maine called Stone Soup Artisans, which featured Maine-made work. In 2010, Lisa-Marie’s Made in Maine location opened at 35 Exchange St.

Lisa-Marie’s Made in Maine is involved in the community by supporting Shop for a Cause in Bath and Portland as well as Kindness Day in Bath.

“The Maine Retailer of the Year is not about being the biggest retailer,” said Curtis Picard, president and CEO of the Retail Association of Maine. “It’s about making a difference in your communities and impacting the lives of your customers and employees.”

“My husband, Andy, and I are honored to be this year’s recipient,” said Lisa-Marie Stewart, who thanked the Maine makers and small businesses the business supports as well as its dedicated employees and customers.

The Retail Association of Maine has presented the annual Retailer of the Year Award since 1980.

Recognition

Rosemont Market & Bakery is the newest food retailer to have achieved Ratio Institute’s Sustainable Food Retail Certification, demonstrating the chain’s commitment to sustainability and a healthy environment. Ratio Institute estimated that Rosemont is saving more than 595,954 kilowatt hours of electricity a year through its energy efficiency efforts. That equals 422 metric tons of CO²e not being released into the atmosphere, the equivalent of 92 passenger vehicles driven for one year.

Honored

The legacies of the late Harold Alfond (philanthropist and Dexter Shoe Company founder) and the late David Flanagan (who most recently served as executive chairman of the Board of Directors of Central Maine Power and AVANGRID, Inc.) were celebrated by Maine State Chamber of Commerce at its annual dinner meeting last month. The keynote speaker was Gregory W. Powell, chairperson of the Harold Alfond Foundation Board of Trustees and president and CEO of Dexter Enterprises, Inc., which he co-founded with Alfond in 1996. Powell was also a longtime colleague and friend of Flanagan’s.

Hires, promotions, appointments

The Falmouth Land Trust announced the hire of Dr. Mila Plavsic as its new executive director. She is a terrestrial ecologist by training with extensive experience in habitat and species conservation in both the United States and overseas.

“As Mila joins our organization, we are poised for the next stage of growth as we build the Falmouth Land Trust into a truly self-sustaining organization,” said Michael Vance, president of the Board of Trustees. “This work is even more vital as we look ahead to meeting new challenges and development pressures.”

Maryellen Labelle is the newest retail associate at The Maine Organic Marketplace at 55 Main St. in Freeport. Labelle loves to garden, bird watch and hike in her leisure time.